Sen. Blumenthal makes telling admission about forthcoming report on attempted Trump assassination

Following a closed-door meeting Thursday with acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) provided a chilling indication that the truth about the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump will leave the American public "shocked, astonished, and appalled."

Days after Trump was shot in Pennsylvania by an ActBlue donor who allegedly shared pro-Biden content online, U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) announced that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee was launching a bipartisan investigation into the security failures that led to bloodletting that occurred on July 13.

In the months since, members of the committee have conducted transcribed interviews with officials linked to the Butler rally.

Committee member Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) indicated this week, "There are more questions than answers at this point in our bipartisan Senate investigation of July 13th. We will continue to press the Secret Service and FBI for witnesses and documents."

'We are going to absolutely insist on the truth.'

Johnson noted further that the committee will issue a preliminary report in the "very near future."

Rowe gave members of both the House and Senate an update Thursday, which appears to have vexed some lawmakers.

Johnson referenced "some frustration that was voiced, I think, with Acting Director Rowe," reported the New York Post.

The briefing also appears to have left Blumenthal with the impression that the committee's forthcoming report will create serious waves. The Connecticut Democrat said that Americans will be shocked by what the report will say about "the failures of the Secret Service in this assassination attempt of a former president."

"But I think they also ought to be appalled and astonished by the failure of the Department of Homeland Security to be more forthcoming, to be as candid and frank as it should be to them in terms of providing information," added Blumenthal. "We are going to absolutely insist on the truth and the whole truth in documents and testimony."

When pressed about what he learned at the closed-door meeting, Blumenthal would not go into specifics. However, he reiterated that the report "will absolutely shock the American people — it should — about the lapses and lags in the protection of his supporters that day and the breakdown of communication."

Blaze News investigative reporter Steve Baker, who has dug deep into what happened July 13 along with reporter Joe Hanneman, cast doubt on whether the committee report will be as explosive as Blumenthal has suggested.

"Honestly, beyond the 'shock' of unprecedented incompetence by the USSS, I don't know what else they will have to show. Maybe the 'insinuation' of 'deliberate incompetence'?" said Baker. "Beyond that insinuation, I seriously doubt they will provide evidence of a conspiracy behind the assassination attempt."

"Blaze News' own expert sources are convinced there are specific signs of professional 'grooming' behind the actions of Thomas Crooks, but Crooks' groomers are part of a very small group. Likely no more than three operatives. No more than five people 'in the know,'" continued Baker. "These are the kind of operatives who will never talk. They themselves will likely believe they were doing the business of 'God and Country' in saving us from the 'democracy-destroying authoritarianism' of a second Trump administration."

As for reports out of Congress, Baker suggested that "we will only ever hear more statements and more questions about the gross 'failures' and 'incompetencies.' It will die there, short of some miraculous revelation or the emergence of an unlikely whistleblower from within our intelligence community."

The report may prove toothless; however, more officials involved in the July 13 Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, may soon be out of work.

The Post noted that when asked whether more people should resign, Blumenthal replied, "Unquestionably and indisputably, there needs to be more accountability. People need to be held responsible."

"Without accountability, this kind of failure and lapse will happen again because there needs to be that sense that someone is the point person," added the Connecticut Democrat.

Sen. Paul told reporters after the briefing, "I think the people in charge of security that day shouldn't be doing it again."

Kimberly Cheatle resigned in disgrace as Secret Service director, despite initially signaling she intended to remain in the role, and a handful of agents were reportedly put on leave weeks later.

USSS Assistant Director Michael Plati is also stepping down.

A spokesman for Plati told Fox News this week, "Mike has been discussing this for more than a year. He's retiring on the date of his 27-year anniversary working for the Secret Service. He approached Acting Director [Ronald] Rowe about his retirement last month, before the DNC. He wasn't asked to retire or resign, and anyone saying otherwise is lying."

The Secret Service similarly suggested Plati "was not asked to resign or retire by anyone."

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